System and method for direct communication between wireless communication devices

ABSTRACT

A wireless communication device includes conventional components to permit a network communication link to be established with a wireless communication network. In addition, the wireless communication device includes a non-network transceiver that detects the presence of a wireless access point. When two such equipped devices come within proximity of the access point, a non-network wireless communication link is established. The two devices exchange portions of profile data which is analyzed to determine if a match exists. If a match occurs, a contact notification is generated. This permits the wireless communication device to act as an auto-detecting social network device that detects the proximity of other devices whose owners have a profile that matches the stored user preference data. Subsequent communication may occur in a conventional manner using the wireless network communication channels and web applications may also be used to gain additional information.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.12/397,225 filed on Mar. 3, 2009, the entire disclosure and content ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed generally to wireless communicationdevices and, more particularly, to a system and method that allowsdirect communication between wireless communication devices.

2. Description of the Related Art

Wireless communication networks have become commonplace. A vast array ofbase stations is provided by a number of different wireless serviceproviders. Wireless communication devices, such as cell phones, personalcommunication system (PCS) devices, personal digital assistant (PDA)devices, and web-enabled wireless devices communicate with the variousbase stations using one or more known communication protocols. Whileearly cell phone devices were limited to analog operation and voice-onlycommunication, more modern wireless devices use digital signal protocolsand have sufficient bandwidth to enable the transfer of voice signals,image data, and even video streaming. In addition, web-enabled devicesprovide network access, such as Internet access.

In all cases, the individual wireless communication devices communicatewith one or more base stations. Even when two wireless communicationdevices are located a few feet from each other, there is no directcommunication between the wireless devices. That is, the wirelessdevices communicate with each other via one or more base stations andother elements of the wireless communication network.

Some wireless service providers have included push-to-talk (PTT)technology that allows group members to communicate with each otherusing PTT technology. Thus, when one group member presses the PTTbutton, the communication from that individual is automaticallytransmitted to the communication devices of other group members. Whilethis gives the appearance of direct communication between the wirelessdevices, the communications between group members is also relayed viaone or more base stations as part of the wireless network.

Therefore, it can be appreciated that there is a need for wirelesscommunication devices that can communicate with the communicationnetwork via base stations, but may also communicate directly with nearbywireless devices. The present invention provides this, and otheradvantages, as will be apparent from the following detailed descriptionand accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system architecture configured toimplement a communication system in accordance with the presentteachings.

FIG. 2 is functional block diagram of one of the wireless communicationdevices of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of profile storage in the wirelesscommunication device of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates an operational mode of the wireless communicationdevice of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the wirelesscommunication devices of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a system architecture configured toimplement a communication system in an alternative embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates an area of coverage provided by an access point inFIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the wirelesscommunication devices of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the wirelesscommunication devices in FIG. 6 to automatically extract information andstore it in association with a user-controlled web page.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The system described herein extends the normal operational features ofconventional wireless communication devices. As described above, theconventional wireless communication device communicates with a wirelesscommunication network via a base station. The extended capabilitiesdescribed herein provide a second transceiver device that allowswireless communication devices to communicate directly with each otherover a short-range. The wireless communication devices are illustratedas part of a system 100 illustrated in the system architecture inFIG. 1. Portions of the system 100 are conventional network componentsthat will be described briefly herein. The non-network communicationcapability, which may be referred to herein as a “jump-enabled” deviceor a “jump” device, will be described in greater detail below.

A conventional wireless communication network 102 includes a basestation 104. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the typicalwireless communication network 102 will include a large number of basestations 104. However, for the sake of brevity and clarity andunderstanding the present invention, FIG. 1 illustrates only a singlebase station 104.

The base station 104 is coupled to a base station controller (BSC) 106.In turn, the BSC 106 is coupled to a gateway 108. The BSC 106 may alsobe coupled to a mobile switching center (not shown) or otherconventional wireless communication network element. The gateway 108provides access to a network 110. The network 110 may be a private corenetwork of the wireless communication network 102 or may be a wide areapublic network, such as the Internet. In FIG. 1, a user computing device112 is illustrated as coupled to the network 110.

For the sake of brevity, a number of conventional network components ofthe wireless communication network are omitted. The particular networkcomponents may vary depending on the implementation of the wirelesscommunication network 102 (e.g., CDMA vs. GSM). However, these elementsare known in the art and need not be described in greater detail herein.

Also illustrated in FIG. 1 are wireless communication devices 120-128.The wireless communication devices 120-128 are illustrative of manydifferent types of conventional wireless communication devices capableof communicating with the base station 104. Those skilled in the artwill appreciate that the wireless communication network 102 maycommunicate using a variety of different signaling protocols. Forexample, the system 100 may be successfully implemented using, by way ofexample, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, UMTS, and the like. The system 100 is notlimited by any specific operational mode for the wireless communicationnetwork 102.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the wireless communication device 120communicates with the base station 104 via a wireless networkcommunication link 130. Similarly, the wireless communication device 122communicates with the base station 104 via a wireless networkcommunication link 132. Each of the wireless communication devicesillustrated in FIG. 1 (e.g., the wireless communication devices 120-128)contain a conventional transmitter/receiver or transceiver components topermit conventional communication with the wireless communicationnetwork 102 via the base station 104. Operational details ofconventional network communication are known in the art and need not bedescribed in greater detail herein.

In addition to the conventional network transceiver components, thejump-enabled wireless communication devices illustrated in FIG. 1 (e.g.,the wireless communication devices 120-128) also include a secondshort-range transceiver to allow direct communication between thedevices. This short-range communication is accomplished via non-networkcommunication links. For example, the wireless communication device 120communicates with the base station 104 via the wireless networkcommunication link 130. Similarly, the wireless communication device 122communicates with the base station 104 via the network wirelesscommunication link 132. However, in addition, the wireless communicationdevices 120 and 122 may communicate directly with each other via anon-network communication link 134.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the wireless communication device 124 is notin communication with the wireless communication network 102. However,the wireless communication device 124 can communicate directly with thewireless communication device 122 via a non-network wirelesscommunication link 136. Also illustrated in FIG. 1 are the wirelesscommunication devices 126-128. Although neither of these devices (i.e.,the wireless communication devices 126-128) are in communication withthe wireless communication network 102, the two devices is in directcommunication with each other via a non-network wireless communicationlink 138. Thus, jump-enabled wireless communication devices must be inproximity with each other, but need not be in communication with thewireless communication network or even in an area of wireless coverageprovided by the wireless communication network 102.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrative of one of the wirelesscommunication devices illustrated in FIG. 1 (e.g., the wirelesscommunication device 120). The wireless communication device 120includes a central processing unit (CPU) 150. Those skilled in the artwill appreciate that the CPU 150 may be implemented as a conventionalmicroprocessor, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), digitalsignal processor (DSP), programmable gate array (PGA), or the like. Thewireless communication device 120 is not limited by the specific form ofthe CPU 150.

The wireless communication device 120 in FIG. 2 also contains a memory152. The memory 152 may store instructions and data to control operationof the CPU 150. The memory 152 may include random access memory,ready-only memory, programmable memory, flash memory, and the like. Thewireless communication device 120 is not limited by any specific form ofhardware used to implement the memory 152. The memory 152 may also beintegrally formed in whole or in part with the CPU 150.

The wireless communication device 120 of FIG. 2 also includesconventional components, such as a display 154 and keypad or keyboard156. These are conventional components that operate in a known mannerand need not be described in greater detail. Other conventionalcomponents found in wireless communication devices, such as a USBinterface, Bluetooth interface, camera/video device, infrared device,and the like, may also be included in the wireless communication device120. For the sake of clarity, these conventional elements are notillustrated in the functional block diagram of FIG. 2.

The wireless communication device 120 of FIG. 2 also includes a networktransmitter 162 such as may be used by the wireless communication device120 for normal network wireless communication with the base station 104(see FIG. 1). FIG. 2 also illustrates a network receiver 164 thatoperates in conjunction with the network transmitter 162 to communicatewith the base station 104. In a typical embodiment, the networktransmitter 162 and network receiver 164 are implemented as a networktransceiver 166. The network transceiver 166 is connected to an antenna168. Operation of the network transceiver 166 and the antenna 168 forcommunication with the wireless network 102 is well-known in the art andneed not be described in greater detail herein.

The wireless communication device 120 of FIG. 2 also includes anon-network transmitter 172 that is used by the wireless communicationdevice 120 for direct communication with other jump-enabled wirelesscommunication devices (e.g., the wireless communication device 122 ofFIG. 1). FIG. 2 also illustrates a non-network receiver 174 thatoperates in conjunction with the non-network transmitter 172 tocommunicate directly with other jump-enabled wireless (e.g., thewireless communication device 122 of FIG. 1). In a typical embodiment,the non-network transmitter 172 and non-network receiver 174 areimplemented as a non-network transceiver 176. The non-networktransceiver 176 is connected to an antenna 178. In an exemplaryembodiment, the antennas 168 and 178 may have common components areimplemented as a single antenna.

In an exemplary embodiment, the non-network transceiver 176 may bedesigned for operation in accordance with IEEE standard 802.11. In oneembodiment, a jump-enabled wireless communication device operates in an“ad hoc” mode defined by IEEE 802.11, which allows devices to operate inan independent basic service set (IBSS) network configuration. In thismanner, jump-enabled wireless communication devices (e.g., the wirelesscommunication devices 120-128) communicate directly with each other in apeer-to-peer manner using unlicensed frequency bands. Low poweroperation limits the range of communication to approximately 100 feet.Although the operational range of jump-enabled devices can be more orless than 100 feet, jump-enabled wireless communication devices aredesigned for short range communication capability.

All jump-enabled wireless communication devices use the same service setidentifier (SSID) and the same physical radio channel (PHY) to permiteach jump-enabled wireless communication devices to detect and identifyother jump-enabled wireless communication devices. In addition, sincethere is no access point, all jump-enabled wireless communicationdevices take on the responsibilities of the medium access layer (MAC)that controls, manages, and maintains the communication between thejump-enabled wireless communication devices by coordinating access tothe shared radio channel and the protocols that operate over thewireless medium. In an exemplary embodiment, the MAC is implemented inaccordance with IEEE 802.2. At the physical layer (PHY), the transceivermay operate in a direct frequency spread spectrum (DSSS) or a frequencyhopping spread spectrum (FHSS) operational mode. Alternatively, the PHYlayer may be implemented using infrared transceivers. The IEEE 802.11standard defines a common operation whether devices are using the ad hocor the infrastructure mode. The use of the ad hoc mode only affectsprotocols, so there is no impact on the PHY layer. Thus, the wirelesscommunication device 120 may operate under IEEE 802.11a at 5 gigahertz(GHz) or under IEEE 802.11b/g at 2.4 GHz.

In operation, the first active jump-enabled device (e.g., the wirelesscommunication device 120) establishes an IBBS and starts sending beaconsignals at approximately 10 per second. The beacon signals are used tomaintain synchronization among the various jump-enabled devices. Otherad hoc jump-enabled wireless communication devices (e.g., the wirelesscommunication device 122 of FIG. 1) can join the network after receivingthe beacon signal and accepting the IBSS parameters. After receiving abeacon signal, each station updates their local internal clock with thetime stamp found in the beacon frame. This ensures that all stations areable to perform operations, such as beacon transmission and powermanagement functions, at the same time. Operation of devices under IEEE802.11 is generally known in the art, and need not be described ingreater detail herein. Once a non-network wireless communication link(e.g., the non-network wireless communication link 134 between thewireless communication devices 120 and 122 in FIG. 1) is established,profile data stored in the two wireless communication devices will beanalyzed. In an exemplary embodiment, a controller 182 transmits aportion of data stored in a profile storage 184 to any jump-enableddevice with which it can establish a non-network wireless communicationlink. In addition, the controller 182 may receive portions of data fromthe corresponding profile storage 184 in the wireless communicationdevice with which the non-network communication link has beenestablished. Details of the profile analysis are provided below.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the controller 182 may beimplemented as a series of computer instructions stored in the memory152 and executed by the CPU 150. However, the controller 182 is shown asa separate block in the functional block diagram of FIG. 2 because itperforms a separate function.

The profile storage 184 may be implemented as any convenient datastructure, whether in the form of a data table, database, spreadsheet,or the like. In an exemplary embodiment, the profile storage 184 may beimplemented as part of the memory 152, but is shown in the functionalblock diagram of FIG. 2 because it performs a separate function in thewireless communication device 120. In one embodiment, the profilestorage 184 may be implemented on a removable memory card to make iteasily transferable to another jump-enabled wireless communicationdevice. Some conventional wireless communication devices utilize aremovable Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card that is easily installedand removed thus making it easy for the consumer to switch phones. In asimilar fashion, the profile storage 184 could be implemented as part ofa SIM card or similar device.

The various components illustrated in FIG. 2 are coupled together by abus system 186. The bus system may include an address bus, data bus,power bus, control bus, and the like. For the sake of convenience, thevarious busses in FIG. 2 are illustrated as the bus system 186.

When the jump-enabled wireless communication device 120 comes withinrange of any other jump-enabled wireless communication device (e.g., thewireless communication device 122 of FIG. 1), it establishes anon-network wireless communication link (e.g., the non-network wirelesscommunication link 134). However, the users of the jump-enabled wirelesscommunication devices 120-122 may not be immediately notified of thedetection. Instead, the controller 182 analyzes the profile storage 184in each device to determine whether there is a suitable match thatwarrants notification to the users of the respective wirelesscommunication devices. In this aspect, system 100 functions as awireless social network implemented on direct communication linksbetween jump-enabled wireless communication devices. Conventional socialnetworks are user-initiated. That is, the user must identify a potentialcontact and ask to be added to that person's “friends” list. Incontrast, the system 100 is auto-initiated in that an initial contact ismade automatically based on the determination of matching parametersfrom the profile storage 184.

FIG. 3 illustrates a form of personal data and preference data that maybe stored in the profile storage 184. In one portion of the profilestorage 184, the user of a wireless communication device 120 may enterpersonal data. As used herein, the personal data used to describe theindividual owner of the wireless communication device is referred to asa “Jump In” data portion 190 of the profile storage 184 or simplyreferred to as Jump In data. The Jump In data can include any personaldata regarding the user that the user wishes to make available toanother jump-enabled wireless communication device. Jump In data mayinclude, but is not limited to, Name, Sex, Age, Height, Weight, Status(e.g., relationship status), Work/Affiliation, Hobbies/Interests, e-mailaddress, Jump web page link, Phone Number, and the like. AWork/Affiliation may include job information for a professional as wellas affiliation, such as a student at a particular school. In addition,affiliation may include, by way of example, religious affiliation orsports fan affiliation, such as a fan of a particular football orbaseball team. Some information, such as an e-mail address and phonenumber may be optional.

Also illustrated in FIG. 3 is a table of preference data forrelationships or contacts that the user of the wireless communicationdevice 120 is seeking. The preference data is referred to herein as a“Jump Out” data portion 192 of the profile storage 184 or simplyreferred to as Jump Out data. Jump Out data may include, but is notlimited to, Sex, Age, Height, Weight, Status, Work/Affiliation,Hobbies/Interests, and the like. Alternatively, a user may specify nopreference at all.

In one embodiment, each of the wireless communication devices for whichnon-network wireless communication links have been established mayexchange the Jump In data with other detected jump-enabled wirelesscommunication devices. For example, when the wireless communicationdevice 126 in FIG. 1 detects the presence of another jump-enabledwireless communication device (i.e., the wireless communication device128), the non-network wireless communication link 138 is established.Once the non-network wireless communication link 138 is established, thewireless communication device 126 transmits its Jump In data to thewireless communication device 128. At substantially the same time, thewireless communication device 128 transmits its Jump In data to thewireless communication device 126. The controllers 182 in each of therespective wireless communication devices compare the received Jump Indata with the Jump Out preference data stored in the respective profilestorages 184. If the received Jump In data provides a suitable match tothe Jump Out preference data for each of the wireless communicationdevices, the controllers 182 in the respective wireless communicationdevices generates a contact notification to the user of the wirelesscommunication device.

In one embodiment, the wireless communication devices (e.g., thewireless communications devices 126-128 of FIG. 1) will only exchangeJump In data for data elements for which a Jump Out preference has beenstated. For example, if the Jump Out preference data of one wirelesscommunication device indicates no preference for age, height, or weight,the controller 182 may transmit the Jump In data minus the age, height,and weight. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that additionalcommunications must be exchanged between the respective controllers 182to initially establish which portions of Jump In data must betransmitted.

The contact notification may be in the form of data sent to the display154 of each respective wireless communication device. In addition, thewireless communication device may provide an audio notification in theform of a beep or other tone. In yet another alternative embodiment, thecontroller 182 may cause the wireless communication device to vibrate asa form of notification if the user has placed the wireless communicationdevice in a silent mode.

In an exemplary embodiment, the contact notification is generated onlyin the event that the controllers 182 in each of the respective wirelesscommunication devices 126-128 find a suitable match between the receivedJump In personal data and the Jump Out preference data. For example, theJump In data transmitted from the wireless communication device 126 tothe wireless communication device 128 may provide a suitable match tothe Jump Out preference data stored in the profile storage 184 in thewireless communication device 128. This would provide a suitable match.However, if the Jump In personal data transmitted from the wirelesscommunication device 128 to the wireless communication device 126 didnot provide a suitable match to the Jump Out preference data in theprofile storage 184 in the wireless communication device 126, neitherwireless communication device would provide a contact notification tothe user. In this embodiment, a secondary communication must occurbetween the wireless communication devices to indicate that each of therespective controllers 182 have determined that a match exists and thatthe contact notifications may be generated in each of the wirelessdevices.

Alternatively, the controller 182 and the wireless communication device126 may provide a provisional contact notification to the user of thewireless communication device indicating that some match may haveoccurred, but indicating that not all preference data matched thereceived Jump In data. For example, the received Jump In data may matchthe Jump Out preference data in some categories, but does not match inthe Work/Affiliation category. The controller 182 in the wirelesscommunication device 126 may indicate the area of mismatch and allow theuser the option of overriding the preference mismatch. In this event,contact notifications could be sent to the users of both wirelesscommunication devices 126 and 128.

In yet another alternative, a contact notification may be provided tothe users of both wireless communication devices (e.g., the wirelesscommunication devices 126-128 of FIG. 1) even if there was a mismatchbetween the Jump In data and the Jump Out preference data in one or bothof the wireless communication devices. This may provide the user of thewireless communication device the options of permitting the contact toproceed. It is well known that wireless communication devices may haveprogrammable buttons near the display 154. Alternatively, the display154 may be touch display that permits programmable buttons to be shownon the touch screen itself. The user may activate one of theprogrammable buttons to continue the contact or to terminate thecontact. As noted above, a user may specify no preference at all in theJump Out preference data. With the selection of this option, thewireless communication device can, in one embodiment, notify the user ofany contact with another jump-enabled wireless communication device.Alternatively, a user that specifies no Jump Out preference data mayonly receive a contact notification if that user's Jump In data matchesthe Jump Out data of the jump-enabled wireless communication device withwhich a non-network communication link has been established.

In yet another embodiment, the users of both wireless communicationdevices may have no preference specified in the Jump Out preferencedata. In this case, the controller 182 in each wireless communicationdevice may generate a contact notification as soon as the non-networkwireless communication link has been established.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that Jump In data and Jump Outdata may be implemented in a flexible manner. For example, the user mayprioritize or weight preference data in the Jump Out data such that somefactors are more important than others. In yet another embodiment theweighting factors may be easily altered by the user. For example, theuser may be attending an out-of-town sporting event. The user may alterthe weighting factor for affiliation to identify only those nearbyjump-enabled wireless communication devices that have the same sportsaffiliation (i.e., they are fans of the same team). As another example,a user may be attending a college homecoming football game and may wishto increase the weighting factor to identify college classmates eitherby graduate date, major, or a combination thereof. Thus, the user hasgreat flexibility in entering Jump Out preference data to therebyselectively identify nearby jump-enabled devices whose users have theunique characteristics being searched for by the user. In this manner,the wireless communication device (e.g., the wireless communicationdevice 120) functions as an auto-detecting social networking device thatidentifies nearby individuals whose characteristics match thepreferences indicated by the user of the wireless communication device.

The discussion above describes the interaction between two jump-enabledwireless communication devices. However, the concept may be extended tomultiple wireless communication devices. As illustrated in FIG. 1, thewireless communication device 122 is within range of the wirelesscommunication devices 120 and 124. When the presence of the wirelesscommunication devices 120 and 124 are detected by the wirelesscommunication device 122, the non-network wireless communication links134 and 136, respectively, are established. Once the non-networkwireless communication links are established, each of the devices willtransmit the Jump In data to the other detected jump-enabled wirelesscommunication devices. In the example of FIG. 1, the wirelesscommunication device 122 transmits its Jump In data to both the wirelesscommunication device 120 and the wireless communication device 124. Inturn, the wireless communication device 122 receives the Jump In datafrom the wireless communication device 120 and also receives the Jump Indata from the wireless communication device 124. The controller 182 inthe wireless communication device 122 performs an analysis on each ofthe received Jump In data sets for comparison with the Jump Outpreference data stored in the profile storage 184 of the wirelesscommunication device 122. Thus, the controller 182 may send multiplecontact notices to the user if there are satisfactory matches betweenthe multiple sets of Jump In data and the stored Jump Out preferencedata. Those skilled in the art can appreciate that this concept may beextended even further to a large number of jump-enabled wirelesscommunication devices.

The user may enter Jump In and Jump Out data into the profile storage184 in a variety of different manners. A relatively simple applicationprogram running on the wireless communication device (e.g., the wirelesscommunication device 120 of FIGS. 1-2) may allow the user to enter datavia the keyboard 156. The application may also permit the user toarrange the order of preference in the Jump Out data or to declare thatcertain data elements (e.g., height and weight) have no preference.

In an alternative embodiment, the user may enter Jump In data and JumpOut preference data remotely. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a user mayoperate the user computer device 112 to enter Jump In and/or Jump Outdata via the user computing device 112 and the network 110. Theuser-entered data is transmitted via the gateway 108 and, ultimately,via the base station 104 to the jump-enabled wireless communicationdevice. In this embodiment, data for the profile storage 184 is providedvia a network communication link and downloaded via the wirelesscommunication network 102 to the jump-enabled wireless communicationdevice.

The non-network wireless communication links are not intended tosupplant communication via the wireless communication network 102. Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that the non-wireless communicationlink may be transitory in nature because of the short communicationrange. The jump-enabled wireless communication device is intended toidentify nearby contacts with which a person may share common interests.Thus, the jump-enabled communication device serves as a transitorydetection and introduction technology, but does not replace normal voicecommunication, text messaging, photo sharing, video sharing, and thelike, which occur through the wireless communication network 102. Intypical operation, subsequent communication may take place face-to-faceor through communication on the wireless communication network, such asemail, text messaging, wireless telephone call, or the like.

The jump-enabled wireless communication device 120 also has numerousweb-enabled applications. For example, an individual user may set up ajump website with information regarding that individual. In this aspect,the jump website may be similar to individual websites and any otherconventional social network. The jump website may be accessed via thenetwork 110 from the user computing device 112 (see FIG. 1).Alternatively, the jump website may be accessed by any web-enabledwireless communication device. For example, in FIG. 1, a non-networkwireless communication link 134 has been established between thewireless communication devices 120 and 122. The wireless devicesexchange the Jump In data, as described above, which is analyzed by thecontroller 182 (see FIG. 2). If a match occurs between the received JumpIn data and the Jump Out data stored in the profile storage 184, thecontact indicators are generated, as described above. Following aninitial contact, the user of a wireless device (e.g., the wirelessdevice 120) may use the web-browsing capability of the wirelesscommunication device to access an individual jump web page for theindividual with whom contact has just been made. This embodiment isillustrated in FIG. 4 where the wireless communication device 120communicates with the base station 104 via the network wirelesscommunication link 130. The wireless communication device 120 may useconventional web-browsing techniques to request access to a jump networkwebsite 196 via the network 110. Further, the wireless communicationdevice 120 may request access to an individual jump web page 198corresponding to the user of the wireless communication device 122. Inan exemplary embodiment, initial data exchange between the wirelesscommunication devices 120-122 via the non-network wireless communicationlink 134 may include a link to the individual jump web page 198. Thatis, if a match is determined by the controllers 182 in the respectivewireless communication devices 120 and 122, the wireless communicationdevice 120 may use the transmitted jump web page link to easily accessthe individual jump web page 198. Thus, the initial social contact madevia the non-network wireless communication link 134 can readily provideadditional information, in the form of a web link to allow the users ofthe wireless communication devices to gain further information via thewireless communication network 102. It should be noted that FIG. 4illustrates a communication link 200 between the base station 104 andthe network 110. This communication link 200, as a dashed line, is partof the wireless communication network 102 and includes a number ofelements, such as the VSC 106 and Gateway 108 illustrated in FIG. 1. Forthe sake of clarity, the various network elements connecting the basestation 104 with the network 110 are replaced merely by thecommunication link 200 in FIG. 4. In yet another aspect, the system 100can utilize information from existing social networks. In a typicalsocial network, each individual has a list of “friends” or “contacts”that are maintained for that individual. In one embodiment, ajump-enabled wireless communication device (e.g., the wirelesscommunication device 120) may download the contact list for storage aspart of the profile storage 184. This is also illustrated in FIG. 4where a social network website 200 includes an individual web page 202.For that individual, a contact list 204 contains a list of allindividuals that the owner of the individual web page 202 has identifiedas part of that individual's social network. In this aspect, the contactlist 204 may be downloaded via the wireless communication network 102 tothe wireless communication device 120 for storage in the profile storage184.

In operation, the wireless communication device 120 searches forcontacts in the manner described above. When a non-network wirelesscommunication link (e.g., the non-network wireless communication link134) is established, the Jump In data is exchanged between the wirelesscommunication devices 120 and 122, in the manner described above. If theuser of the wireless communication device 122 is already on the contactlist 204 (now downloaded and stored in the profile storage 184), thewireless communication device 120 may immediately generate a contactnotification to the user of the wireless communication device 120. Inthis embodiment, the controller 184 need not do a detailed comparisonbetween the Jump In data received from the wireless communication device122 and the store Jump Out preference data stored in the profile storage184. Rather, the mere match between the user name of the wirelesscommunication device 122 in the received Jump In data provides a matchwith the contact list 204 and the contact notification is generated. Inanother aspect of this embodiment, the wireless communication device 120may transmit a web link to the individual web page 202 to enable theuser of the wireless communication device 122 to gain additionalinformation about the individual user of the wireless communicationdevice 120. This may be in place of, or in addition to, an individualjump web page link, described above. Thus, system 100 allows seamlessintegration with existing social network websites as well as a jumpnetwork website.

The examples provided above extract data from the jump network website196 or the social network website 200 and provide it to the wirelesscommunication devices 120 and/or 122. However, the reverse process mayalso be implemented by the system 100. Following the determination thata match exists between the wireless communication devices 120-122, data,such as the Jump In data may be automatically extracted from thewireless communication device (e.g., the wireless communication device120) and provided to the jump network website 196 and/or the socialnetwork website 200. For example, the user profile data from thewireless communication device 120 may be added to the contact list 204.Other profile information or other user-authorized information may alsobe used to populate the individual jump web page 198 and/or theindividual web page 202. Thus, data stored within the wirelesscommunication device may be extracted and used to populate data bases orother data storage structures.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of typical Jump In data in the Jump Indata portion 190 of the profile storage 184. In the embodiment describedabove, when a match notification is generated, the Jump In datatransmitted by one wireless communication device (e.g. the wirelesscommunication device 120 in FIG. 1) may be automatically extracted andsent to the individual jump web page 198 (see FIG. 4) for the user ofthe wireless communication device 122. Furthermore, any additionalinformation authorized by the user of the wireless communication device120 may be extracted upon generation of a match notification and sent tothe individual jump web page 198 for the user of the wirelesscommunication device 122. This may include information described aboveas optional Jump In personal data, such as an email address, telephonenumbers, web page links, and the like. This automatic extraction processadvantageously allows the user to automatically store information fromcontacts in the user's individual jump web page 198. At a subsequenttime, the user may access his own individual jump web page to retrievethe stored information and to organize or further utilize the storedinformation. This may be particularly advantageous in a situation wherethe user of the wireless communication device 120 makes a number ofcontacts in a short period of time. While the wireless communicationdevice 120 may store the Jump In data from multiple contacts, theautomatic extraction and storage process described herein allows thedata to automatically be extracted and forwarded to the user'sindividual jump web page for future use. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that the automatic data extraction and storage may also beperformed on the individual web page 202 (see FIG. 4) associated withthe social network website 200.

The operation of the system 100 is illustrated in the flow chart of FIG.5 where a jump-enabled wireless communication device detects theproximity of another jump-enabled wireless communication device in step202. A technique for peer-to-peer communication has already beendescribed with respect to IEEE 802.11. Other peer-to-peer technologiesmay also be satisfactory to implement the non-network wirelesscommunication links. The system 100 is not limited by the specific formof technology used to implement the non-network wireless communicationlinks. In addition, the wireless communication device (e.g., thewireless communication device 120) may include a user selectiveenablement of a jump-mode. In this manner, the user can control when thewireless communication device is jump-enabled. In step 204, the wirelesscommunication device 120 establishes a non-network wirelesscommunication link with another jump-enabled wireless communicationdevice. Once the non-network wireless communication link has beenestablished, the two jump-enabled wireless communication devicesexchange the Jump In data portions of the respective profile storage 184in step 206. There are a number of alternative techniques for exchanginginformation, as previously described. This may include, for example, thetotal exchange of all data stored in the Jump In data 190 or may includethe transmission only of portions of the Jump In data 190 thatcorrespond to portions of the Jump Out data for which a user hasspecified a preference.

In step 208, the controller of each wireless communication deviceanalyzes the received Jump In data with respect to the Jump Outpreference data 192 stored in the profile storage 184. A variety ofdifferent analysis techniques have been discussed above, including, forexample, importance of various factors, the weighting of differentfactors, and the like. In one embodiment, the user may specify theimportance of various factors merely by the sequence in which thepreferences are arranged. In an alternative embodiment, the user mayassign various importance levels to various factors. For example, themost important factors may be identified by a numeral “1” while a secondtier of importance may be identified by a numeral “2.” Various othermatching algorithms may be used. The system 100 is not limited by thespecific preference factors, or by the manner in which the preferencefactors are analyzed.

If there is a match between the received Jump In data and the storedJump Out preference data, a match occurs in decision 210 and, in step212, the wireless communication device generates a contact notification.As discussed above, the contact notification can occur based onindividual analysis, or may be restricted to a situation in which bothwireless communication devices have determined that a match exists.Various other techniques for determining whether a contact notificationshould be generated have been described above. If the controllerdetermines that a match has not occurred, the result of decision 210 isNO. In that event, or following the generation of the contactnotification in step 212, the system returns to step 202 to detectadditional jump-enabled wireless communication devices.

In yet another alternative embodiment, the jump-enabled wirelesscommunication devices (e.g., the wireless communication devices 120-122)may communicate with an access point 220, such as a Wi-Fi base station,illustrated in FIG. 6. FIG. 6 illustrates a wireless communication link222 established between the access point 220 and the wirelesscommunication device 120. Similarly, the wireless communication device122 establishes a wireless communication link 224 with the access point220. The access point 220 is coupled to the network 110 in aconventional manner. This can include a wired or wireless connectiondirectly to the network 110 or via an intermediate network gateway, suchas those provided by an Internet Service Provider (ISP). The accesspoint 220 may access the jump network website 196 or the social networkwebsite 200 via the network 110, as described above.

FIG. 7 illustrates an area of coverage 226 for the access point 220. Inan exemplary embodiment, the wireless communication devices 120-122 areboth within the area of coverage 226.

The access point 220 may have a range of a mile or more. However, acommon implementation of the access point 220 is a short range “hotspot” often provided by retailers for the convenience of its customers.For example, a coffee shop or bookstore may provide a hot spot that itscustomers may use. Although the example illustrated herein refers to a“Wi-Fi” base station, the base station 220 illustrated in the embodimentof FIG. 6 may be thought of as an access point to a network, such as theInternet. While such access points may be typically implemented as aWi-Fi base station, other technologies (e.g., WiMAX, 3G/4G or long termevolution LTE) may be used to implement the base station 220. Thus, theaccess point provided by the base station 220 may be implemented by avariety of different communication technologies and is not limited toWi-Fi technology.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the non-network transceiver 176(see FIG. 2) may be implemented using conventional technology capable ofproviding wireless communication with the access point 220.Implementation of such short range communication with a Wi-Fi hot spotmay often be accomplished using Bluetooth technology. This communicationtechnology is well known in the art, and need not be described ingreater detail herein. Other communication protocols, such as IEEE802.11, are also possible. The system described herein is not limited bythe specific communication protocol used to establish the wirelesscommunication links 222-224 between the access point 220 and thewireless communication devices 120-122, respectively.

The operation of the wireless communication devices 120-122 with theaccess point 220 is illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 8. At a start230, the access point 220 is operational. For purposes of the followingdiscussion, it is assumed that the wireless communication device 120 hasalready performed a registration operation with the access point 220. Atstep 232, the wireless communication device 122 comes within the area ofcoverage 226 (see FIG. 7) of the access point 220 and thereby detectsthe access point. In step 234, the wireless communication deviceperforms a registration operation with the access point 220. In someembodiments, an access point may be unrestricted. That is, any usercoming within the area of coverage 226, may use the access point 220without requiring a user name and password as part of the registrationprocess. In other implementations, a user name and/or password may berequired as part of the registration process. For example, some retailfacilities may allow unrestricted access while others may require apurchase and provide a temporary user name and password.

In step 236, the access point 220 detects that the wirelesscommunication device 122 is a jump-enabled device. This process may beperformed as part of the registration in step 234 or performed uponcompletion of the registration.

In decision 240, the access point 220 determines whether otherjump-enabled devices are also registered. If no other jump-enabledwireless communication devices are currently registered with the accesspoint 220, the result of decision 240 is NO and the process illustratedin FIG. 8 essentially ends until other jump-enabled devices registerwith the access point 220.

If other jump-enabled devices are registered with the access point 220,the result of decision 240 is YES. In step 242, the Jump In data isexchanged between the jump-enabled wireless communication devices. Inthe example illustrated in FIG. 6, the wireless communication devices120-122 would exchange Jump In data. The Jump In data, which has beenpreviously described, may be exchanged in a variety of alternativetechniques. In one embodiment, the access point receives Jump In datafrom a wireless communication device as part of the registrationprocess, or upon completion of the registration process when the deviceis determined to be a jump-enabled device (in step 236). In thisembodiment, the access point 220 temporarily stores Jump In data for alljump-enabled wireless communication devices registered therewith. When anew jump-enabled wireless communication device registers with the accesspoint 220, its Jump In data is also delivered to the access point 220for distribution to other jump-enabled wireless communication devicesalready registered with the access point 220. In turn, the access point220 also delivers Jump In data for one or more previously registeredjump-enabled wireless communication devices to the newly registeredwireless communication device (e.g., the wireless communication device122). Alternatively, the access point 220 simply stores registrationinformation indicating the registration of one or more jump-enabledwireless communication devices. When a new jump-enabled wirelesscommunication device registers with the access point 220, the accesspoint provides a notification to each of the registered jump-enabledwireless communication devices. In this embodiment, the wirelesscommunication devices 120-122 exchange Jump In data with each other viathe access point 220. That is, the wireless communication device 120transmits its Jump In data to the access point 220 to be relayed to thejump-enabled wireless communication device 122. Similarly, the wirelesscommunication device 122 transmits its Jump In data to the access point220 to be relayed to the jump-enabled wireless communication device 120.

In step 244, wireless communication devices 120-122 analyze the receivedJump In data with respect to its own stored Jump Out data in step 244.The analysis of Jump In and Jump Out data has already been discussed indetail above.

In decision 246, the wireless communication device 122 determineswhether there is a match between its own stored Jump Out data and theJump In data received from the wireless communication device 120. If nomatch exists, the result of decision 246 is NO and the process ends. Ifa match exists, the result of decision 246 is YES and, in step 248, thewireless communication device 122 generates a contact notification.

As previously discussed, there are a number of alternative controlmechanisms with respect to match determination and contact notification.For example, while the wireless communication device 122 analyses theJump In data received from the wireless communication device 120 (instep 244), the wireless communication device 120 is performing the sameoperation. That is, the wireless communication device 120 analyses itsown stored Jump Out data with respect to the Jump In data received fromthe wireless communication device 122. Thus, the wireless communicationdevices 120 and 122 are both performing steps 244-246 at substantiallythe same time. In one embodiment, the contact notification may be sentby either device in the event of a match in decision 246. In anotherembodiment, contact notification is generated only is both devicesgenerate a match as a result of the analysis in step 244.

In one embodiment, the wireless communication devices 120-122 followessentially the same process illustrated in the flow chart of FIG. 8.That is, the wireless communication devices 120-122 exchange Jump Indata in step 242 and analyze the received data in step 244. The analysisin step 244 may be performed by each respective wireless communicationdevice to determine, in decision 246, whether there is a match betweenthe received Jump In data from the other wireless communication deviceand the stored Jump Out data stored within each respective wirelesscommunication device. If a match occurs, the wireless communicationdevices 120-122 may generate a contact notification in step 248.

The contact notification may also be relayed between the wirelesscommunication devices 120-122 by the access point 220. Furthercommunication between the wireless communication devices 120-122 mayoccur via the access point 220. Alternatively, the wirelesscommunication devices 120-122 may establish a communication link via thenetwork transceiver 166 (see FIG. 2) in each wireless device. In yetanother alternative, further communication between the wirelesscommunication devices 120-122 may occur via web applications. Forexample, the wireless communication devices 120-122 may access the jumpnetwork website 196 or the social network website 200 via the network110. The user of one jump-enabled wireless communication device may beauthorized by the user of another jump-enabled wireless communicationdevice to view a user profile or personal webpage, such as theindividual jump webpage 198 or the individual webpage 202 illustrated inFIG. 4. While the wireless communication devices are within the coveragearea 226 (see FIG. 7) access to the network 110 may be achieved via theaccess point 220. Thus, the access point 220 may serve as an initialportal to establish communications between jump-enabled wirelesscommunication devices.

As previously described, information may be extracted from the jumpnetwork website 196 or the social network website 200 and provided tothe wireless communication devices once it has been determined that amatch exists. Alternatively, further authorization may be required priorto the retrieval of data from the jump network website 196 or the socialnetwork website 200. As also discussed above, data from the wirelesscommunication devices 120-122 may be extracted and used to provideinformation to the jump network website 196 and/or the social networkwebsite 200. Once a match has been established, data, such as userprofile data, may be extracted from the wireless communication devices120-122 and provided to the jump network website 196 and/or the socialnetwork website 200. Alternatively, further authorization beyond a matchdetermination may also be required.

In this embodiment, Jump In data (see FIG. 3) and/or any otheruser-authorized data may be automatically extracted from the wirelesscommunication device and transmitted, via the access point 220 to theindividual jump web page 198, illustrated in FIG. 4. This may includedata described above as optional Jump In personal data, such as emailaddresses, telephone numbers, web page links, and the like. This data isautomatically extracted from the wireless communication device (e.g.,the wireless communication device 122 in FIG. 6) and stored in theindividual jump web page 198 associated with the user of the wirelesscommunication device 120. At a subsequent time, the user may access hisown individual jump web page to retrieve the stored data to organize orfurther use the stored information. This automatic processadvantageously allows the user to collect Jump In data from a number ofcontacts and automatically have the information extracted and used topopulate a data storage area on the individual's web page. In oneembodiment, the data may be extracted from known data fields, such asthose fields defined in the Jump In data portion 190 of FIG. 3. In thissituation, the data may be used to automatically populate data storagelocations or cells in a database, spreadsheet, data table, or any otherconvenient data structure. The precise form of the data structure is notcritical to satisfactory implementation of the data extraction andstorage process.

The extraction and storage process is illustrated in the flow chart ofFIG. 9. At a start 250 the wireless communication devices (e.g., thewireless communication devices 120 and 122 of FIG. 6) are active andhave registered with the access point 220 in the manner described above.In step 252, data is extracted from, by way of example, the wirelesscommunication device 122. In one embodiment, data may be extracted onlyupon generation of the contact notification (see FIG. 8) or uponalternative user authorization. The data may be extracted by thewireless communication device 120 or extracted directed directly by theaccess point 220. A similar process may be performed with respect todata extracted from the wireless communication device 120. That is, thewireless communication device 122 or the access point 220 may extractinformation from the wireless communication device 120.

In step 254, the extracted data is relayed to the respective individualjump web pages 198. That is, the data extracted from the wirelesscommunication device 122 is relayed to the web page associated with theuser of the wireless communication device 120. In turn, the informationextracted from the wireless communication device 120 is relayed to theindividual web page of the user of the wireless communication device122.

In step 256, the server associated with the jump network web site 196stores the received data in the individual jump web page 198. As notedabove, the data may be stored in any convenient manner using anyconvenient form of a data structure. In many embodiments, the storagearea associated with the individual jump web page 198 may be provided bythe server hosting the jump network website 196. In this embodiment, thedata storage structure is associated with the individual jump web page198. In an alternative embodiment, the individual jump web page 198 mayinclude its own server and the data storage structure may be part of theserver that supports the individual jump web page 198. Those skilled inthe art will appreciate that other network architectures may besatisfactorily employed to provide the jump network website 196, theindividual jump web page 198, and the data storage structure associatedwith the individual jump web page.

In step 258, the user may, at a subsequent time, retrieve the storeddata for organizational purposes or for further use. As discussed above,when data is extracted from known data fields, it can be used toautomatically populate specified data fields in the data structureassociated with the individual jump web page 198. In othercircumstances, the data may be extracted from previously undefined datafields. In this embodiment, the extracted data may be stored in ageneral purpose data field within the data structure associated with theindividual jump web page 198. In step 258, the user may organize thedata by placing extracted data into appropriately labeled data fields.For example, email addresses and telephone numbers may be stored inappropriate labeled data fields within the data structure associatedwith the individual web page 198. In addition, the user may retrieve thestored data in step 258 for other purposes, such as initiating a contactwith the individual whose data has been extracted. This contact may takethe form of a telephone call, email, text message, link to the otherindividual's web page, or the like. The process ends at 260.

Thus, the system 100 may automatically extract data and populate a datastructure in an individual's web page for future use. While the aboveprocess has been described with respect to the embodiment of FIG. 6,those skilled in the art will appreciate its applicability to the systemillustrated in FIGS. 1-5. In addition, the process illustrated in FIG. 9may be used to automatically populate the individual web page 202 at thesocial network web site 200.

In the embodiment described above, the access point 220 simply stores alist of jump-enabled wireless communication devices currently registeredwith the access point. As other jump-enabled wireless communicationdevices register with the access point 220, the access point sendsnotifications to any previously registered jump-enabled wirelesscommunication devices as a notification that other jump-enabled wirelesscommunication devices are also registered.

In an alternative embodiment, the access point 220 may receive both JumpIn data and Jump Out data from each registered wireless communicationdevice. In this embodiment, the Jump In and Jump Out data is stored inassociation with registration information (e.g., a temporary networkaddress) for each respective wireless communication device. The accesspoint 220 may perform the analysis of Jump In and Jump Out data fromeach respective wireless communication device (in step 242 of FIG. 8) todetermine whether a match exists. If a match exists, the access point220 sends separate notifications to the wireless communication deviceswhose data provides a match. In this embodiment, the access point 220receives and temporarily stores the Jump In and Jump Out data from eachwireless communication device. When the communication link between thewireless communication device and the access point 220 is broken, theaccess point 220 will delete any Jump In and/or Jump Out datatemporarily stored by the access point. The communication link may bebroken by active termination by the user or if the wirelesscommunication device simply moves out of the area of coverage 226 (seeFIG. 7) of the access point 220. Alternatively, the access point 220 maystore the Jump In and/or Jump Out data for some time period after thewireless communication link has been broken. For example, the accesspoint 220 may store the Jump In and/or Jump Out data for several seconds(e.g., 60 seconds) to avoid having to retransmit such data if thewireless communication link is temporarily broken due to a transientcondition. In yet another alternative embodiment, the access point 220may retain the Jump In and/or Jump Out data for a longer period of timeso that a frequent customer need not retransmit such data each time thecustomer re-registers with the access point 220. Caching of such dataand cache management, are well known in the art and need not bedescribed in greater detail herein.

In yet another embodiment, the access point 220 may access the network110 (e.g., the Internet) to retrieve Jump In data and/or Jump Out datafor a newly-registered wireless communication device. A user profile,including the Jump In data and/or Jump Out data can be stored at aremote location, such as a computer server associated with the jumpnetwork website 196, the social network website 200, or the wirelesscommunication service provider. When a wireless communication device(e.g., the wireless communication device 122) registers with the accesspoint 220, the registration information may be used to retrieve the JumpIn and/or Jump Out data from the remote location. Conventional securitytechnology may be applied to prevent unauthorized retrieval of userprofile information (i.e., Jump In and/or Jump Out data). This mayinclude requesting user permission and/or user entry of a password orsecurity code. Other forms of security, such as identification of theauthenticity of the mobile phone number associated with the wirelesscommunication device may also be used. Transmission of passwords and/orother security data may be encrypted to prevent its unauthorizedinterception. In this embodiment, the Jump In and Jump Out data istransmitted from the remote location (e.g., the jump network website196) to the access point 220 and is analyzed by the access point 220 inthe manner described above.

In yet another alternative, the access point 220 may pass registrationdata for the wireless communication devices 120-122 to a centrallocation (e.g., the jump network website 196) in the manner describedabove. In this embodiment, the server hosting the jump network website196 can retrieve the Jump In and Jump Out data for each registeredwireless communication device and perform the analysis at the serverlocation. In this embodiment, the Jump In and Jump Out data for eachregistered wireless communication device is retrieved, but is nottransmitted to the access point 220. This may provide greater securityby maintaining the Jump In and Jump Out data in a secure locationassociated with the server. The server performs the data analysis step(i.e., steps 244-246) for each of the wireless communication devices andprovides a result to the access point 220. If a match has occurred, theaccess point 220 is instructed to generate the contact notification inthe manner described above and transmit it to the wireless communicationdevices whose Jump In and Jump Out data have produced a match. Asdiscussed above, subsequent communication between the wirelesscommunication devices 120-122 may occur via the access point 220 or mayoccur over the network using the network transceiver 166 in each of thewireless communication devices.

In the embodiments described above, the access point 220 receivesregistration information from the jump-enabled wireless communicationdevices 120-122. Data provided by the wireless communication devices120-122 during registration or just following registration identifiesthese devices as jump-enabled devices. In yet another alternativeembodiment, the access point 220 may transmit an indicator that one ormore jump-enabled wireless communication devices are registeredtherewith. For security purposes, the access point 220 does not transmitany information directly linked with registered jump-enabled wirelesscommunication devices. The access point 220 simply transmits dataindicating that there are jump-enabled wireless communication devicesregistered with the access point 220. In this embodiment, anunregistered jump-enabled wireless communication device may come withinrange of the access point 220. The unregistered wireless communicationdevice (e.g., the wireless communication device 120) receives a messageindicating that one or more other jump-enabled wireless communicationdevices (e.g., the wireless communication device 120) are registeredwith the access point 220. In essence, the access point 220 is offeringto register the wireless communication device 120 in order to providethe jump-enabled communication link described above.

Thus, jump-enabled wireless communication devices may communicatedirectly with each other and exchange Jump In data, as described above,or may communicate indirectly via an access point (e.g., the accesspoint 220). Using the access point 220 as an intermediate node providesadditional alternative implementations as described above.

The foregoing described embodiments depict different componentscontained within, or connected with, different other components. It isto be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary,and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented whichachieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangementof components to achieve the same functionality is effectively“associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, anytwo components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality canbe seen as “associated with” each other such that the desiredfunctionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedialcomponents. Likewise, any two components so associated can also beviewed as being “operably connected”, or “operably coupled”, to eachother to achieve the desired functionality.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that,based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be madewithout departing from this invention and its broader aspects and,therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope allsuch changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scopeof this invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that theinvention is solely defined by the appended claims. It will beunderstood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein,and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appendedclaims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term“including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” theterm “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term“includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,”etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if aspecific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such anintent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence ofsuch recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid tounderstanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of theintroductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claimrecitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed toimply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinitearticles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing suchintroduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one suchrecitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases“one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or“an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “atleast one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use ofdefinite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, evenif a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitlyrecited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitationshould typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number(e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without othermodifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or morerecitations).

Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appendedclaims.

1. A communication system comprising: a plurality of wirelesscommunication devices each having: a first transceiver configured tocommunicate with a wireless communication network; a second transceiverconfigured to communicate other than with the wireless communicationnetwork; a controller configured to control operation of the secondtransceiver; a profile data storage area configured to store first andsecond portions of user profile data; and a wireless access pointwherein the second transceiver is a short-range transceiver configuredto permit direct communication between a first of the plurality ofwireless communication devices and a second of the plurality of wirelesscommunication devices via the wireless access point, wherein thecontroller in the first wireless communication device is configured todetect the presence of the second wireless communication device in alocation proximate the first wireless communication device, thecontroller in the first wireless communication device being furtherconfigured to analyze the second portion of the user profile datareceived from the second wireless communication device and the firstportion of user profile data stored in the profile data storage area ofthe first wireless communication device to determine if there is a matchbetween the first portion of user profile data stored in the profiledata storage area of the first wireless communication device and thesecond portion of user profile data received from the second wirelesscommunication device.
 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising adata storage area associated with the wireless access point wherein thewireless access point is configured to receive and store in the datastorage area, the second portion of profile data transmitted from thefirst wireless communication device to the wireless access point uponregistration of the first wireless communication device.
 3. The systemof claim 2 wherein the wireless access point is further configured totransmit the stored second portion of profile data from the firstwireless communication device to the others of the plurality of wirelesscommunication devices already registered with the wireless access point,the controller of the second wireless communication device beingconfigured to receive the second portion of profile data from thewireless access point, and to analyze the received portion of theprofile data and a first portion of the profile data from the profiledata storage area of the second registered wireless communication deviceto thereby determine if there is a match between the received secondprofile portion and the stored first profile portion, the controller ofthe second wireless communication device generating a match indicator tothereby indicate a match resulting from the analysis between thereceived second portion of the profile data and the stored secondportion of the profile data from the profile data storage area of thesecond registered wireless communication.
 4. The system of claim 1,further comprising a data storage area associated with the wirelessaccess point wherein the wireless access point is configured to receiveand store in the data storage area, the first and second portions ofprofile data from the profile data storage area of each of the pluralityof wireless communication devices transmitted from each of the pluralityof wireless communication devices to the wireless access point uponregistration of the respective wireless communication devices.
 5. Thesystem of claim 4, further comprising a controller associated with thewireless access point configured to analyze the stored second portion ofthe profile data for the first wireless communication device and thestored first portion of the profile data from each of the others of theplurality of wireless communication devices to thereby determine ifthere is a match between the second portion of the profile data for thefirst wireless communication device and the stored second portion of theprofile data of any of the others of the plurality of wirelesscommunication devices, the controller generating a match indicator tothereby indicate a match resulting from the analysis between the storedsecond portion of the profile data for the first wireless communicationdevice and the stored first portion of the profile data of any of theothers of the plurality of wireless communication devices.
 6. The systemof claim 1, further comprising a network interface controller to couplethe wireless access point to a network server wherein the networkinterface controller is configured to receive the second portion of theprofile data for the second wireless communication device stored inassociation with the network server.
 7. The system of claim 6 whereinthe wireless access point receives the first portion of the profile datafrom the first wireless communication device, the system furthercomprising a controller associated with the wireless access pointconfigured to analyze the received first portion of the profile data forthe first wireless communication device and the second portion of theprofile data for the second communication wireless device received fromthe network server, the controller generating a match indicator tothereby indicate a match resulting from the analysis between thereceived first portion of the profile data for the first wirelesscommunication device and the second portion of the profile data for thesecond wireless communication device received from the network server.8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a network interfacecontroller to couple the wireless access point to a network serverwherein the network interface controller is configured to transmitregistration data identifying the first and second wirelesscommunication devices, the network server being configured to store thefirst and second portions of the profile data for the first wirelesscommunication device and the first and second portions of the profiledata for the second wireless communication device in association withthe respective registration data.
 9. The system of claim 8, furthercomprising a controller associated with the network server configured toanalyze the stored first portion of the profile data for the firstwireless device and the stored second portion of the profile data forthe second wireless device, the controller generating a match indicatorto thereby indicate a match resulting from the analysis between thestored first portion of the profile data for the first wireless deviceand the stored second portion of the profile data for the secondwireless device.
 10. The system of claim 9 wherein the controller isfurther configured to analyze the stored first portion of the profiledata for the second wireless device and the stored second portion of theprofile data for the first wireless device, the controller generating amatch indicator to thereby indicate a match resulting from the analysisbetween the stored first portion of the profile data for the secondwireless device and the stored second portion of the profile data forthe first wireless device.
 11. The system of claim 1 wherein the profiledata storage area is user-configurable.
 12. The system of claim 1wherein the profile data storage area is configured to storeuser-selectable profile data in the second portion of the profile datastorage area and user-selectable preference data in the first portion ofthe profile data storage area, the controller of the first wirelesscommunication device being configured to receive the second portion ofprofile data from the second wireless communication device via thewireless access point, and to analyze the user profile data associatedwith the user of the second wireless communication device and theuser-selectable preference data associated with the user of the firstwireless communication device to determine if there is a match betweenthe user-selectable preference data associated with the user of thefirst wireless communication device and the user profile data associatedwith the user of the second wireless communication device.
 13. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein the controller in the first wirelesscommunication device is further configured to detect the presence of thewireless access point and, if performing a registration operation withthe detected wireless access point, receiving an indication of thesecond wireless communication device already registered with thewireless access point wherein the first registered wirelesscommunication device is configured to establish a wireless communicationlink with the second registered wireless communication device via thewireless access point to receive the second portion of the user profiledata from the second wireless communication device via the wirelessaccess point.
 14. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller in thefirst wireless communication device is further configured to provide amatch indication if the controller in the first wireless communicationdevice determines there is a match between the first portion of userprofile data stored in the profile data storage area of the firstwireless communication device and the second portion of user profiledata received from the second wireless communication device.
 15. Thesystem of claim 1, further comprising a user-operable input device onthe first wireless communication device to permit entry of the first andsecond portions of the user profile data via the user-operable inputdevice.
 16. The system of claim 1 wherein the first transceiver in thefirst wireless communication device is configured to receive the firstand second portions of the user profile data from the wirelesscommunication network.
 17. The system of claim 1 wherein the receivedportion of the user profile data in the user profile data storage areafrom the second wireless communication device includes a web-linkindicating a network location associated with a user of the secondwireless communication device, the controller in the first wirelesscommunication device being further configured to pass the receivedweb-link to the first transceiver in the first wireless communicationdevice for transmission to the wireless communication network.
 18. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein the controller in the first wirelesscommunication device is further configured to download a contact listfrom an external data source via the first transceiver in the firstwireless communication device, and to store at least a portion of thedownloaded contact list in the user profile data storage area in thefirst wireless communication device.
 19. The system of claim 18 whereinthe external data source is a social network web page of a user of thefirst wireless communication device.
 20. The system of claim 18 whereinthe controller in the first wireless communication device is furtherconfigured to analyze the received portion of the user profile data fromthe user profile data storage area in the second wireless communicationdevice and the stored portion of the downloaded contact list in thefirst portion of the user profile data storage area in the firstwireless communication device to determine if there is a match.
 21. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein the controller in the second wirelesscommunication device is configured to analyze the received secondportion of the user profile data from the first wireless communicationdevice and the first portion of user profile data stored in the profiledata storage area of the second wireless communication device todetermine if there is a match between the first portion of user profiledata stored in the profile data storage area of the second wirelesscommunication device and the second portion of user profile datareceived from the first wireless communication device.
 22. The system ofclaim 1 wherein a communication link is established between the secondtransceivers in the first and second wireless communication devices,respectively, and the controller in the first wireless communicationdevice is further configured to automatically extract a portion of thedata stored in the profile data storage area of the second wirelesscommunication device upon establishment of the wireless communicationlink and to transfer the extracted data portion to a web page associatedwith a user of the first wireless communication device.
 23. The systemof claim 22 wherein the first transceiver is further configured totransmit the extracted data portion to the web page associated with auser of the first wireless communication device using the wirelesscommunication network.
 24. A system for communication between aplurality of wireless communication devices via a wireless access point,comprising: a plurality of wireless communication devices each having: afirst transceiver configured to communicate directly with a wirelesscommunication network; a second transceiver configured to communicatewith a wireless access point; a controller configured to controloperation of the wireless device; and a profile data storage areaconfigured to store first and second portions of user profile data; thecontroller in a first of the plurality of wireless communication devicesbeing configured to detect the presence of the wireless access pointand, if performing a registration operation with the detected wirelessaccess point, receiving an indication of a second of the plurality ofwireless communication devices already registered with the wirelessaccess point wherein the first registered wireless communication deviceis configured to establish a wireless communication link with thewireless access point.
 25. The system of claim 24 wherein the secondtransceiver in the first registered wireless communication device isfurther configured to receive the second portion of the profile datastored in the profile data storage area of the second wirelesscommunication device via the wireless access point, the controller inthe first wireless communication device being configured to analyze thesecond portion of the user profile data received from the secondwireless communication device and the first portion of user profile datastored in the profile data storage area of the first wirelesscommunication device to determine if there is a match between the firstportion of user profile data stored in the profile data storage area ofthe first wireless communication device and the second portion of userprofile data received from the second wireless communication device. 26.The system of claim 25 wherein the second transceiver in the secondregistered wireless communication device is further configured toreceive the second portion of the profile data stored in the profiledata storage areas of the first wireless communication device via thewireless access point, the controller in the second wirelesscommunication device being configured to analyze the second portion ofthe user profile data received from the first wireless communicationdevice and the first portion of user profile data stored in the profiledata storage area of the second wireless communication device todetermine if there is a match between the first portion of user profiledata stored in the profile data storage area of the second wirelesscommunication device and the second portion of user profile datareceived from the first wireless communication device.
 27. The system ofclaim 24, further comprising a data storage area associated with thewireless access point wherein the wireless access point data storagearea is configured to receive and store the first and second portions ofthe user profile data from the profile data storage area of each of theplurality of wireless communication devices transmitted from each of theplurality of wireless communication devices to the wireless accesspoint.
 28. The system of claim 27, further comprising a controllerassociated with the wireless access point configured to analyze thestored first portion of the user profile data from the first wirelessdevice and the stored second portion of the user profile data from thesecond wireless communication device to thereby determine if there is amatch between the stored first portion of the user profile data from thefirst wireless device and the stored second portion of the user profiledata from the second wireless communication device, the controllergenerating a match indicator to thereby indicate a match resulting fromthe analysis between the stored first portion of the user profile datafrom the first wireless device and the stored second portion of the userprofile data from the second wireless device.
 29. The system of claim24, further comprising a network interface controller to couple thewireless access point to a network server wherein the network interfacecontroller is configured to receive the second portion of the userprofile data for the second wireless communication device stored in thenetwork server in association with the second wireless communicationdevice.
 30. The system of claim 29 wherein the wireless access pointreceives the first portion of the user profile data from the firstwireless communication device, the system further comprising acontroller associated with the wireless access point configured toanalyze the received first portion of the user profile data for thefirst wireless communication device and the second portion of the userprofile data for the second wireless communication device received fromthe network server, the controller generating a match indicator tothereby indicate a match resulting from the analysis of the receivedfirst portion of the user profile data for the first wirelesscommunication device and the second portion of the user profile data forthe second wireless communication device received from the networkserver.
 31. The system of claim 24, further comprising a networkinterface controller to couple the wireless access point to a networkserver wherein the network interface controller is configured totransmit the first and second portions of the user profile data from theprofile data storage areas of the first and second wirelesscommunications devices, respectively, to the network server, the networkserver being configured to store first and second portions of the userprofile data for the first wireless communication device and the firstand second portions of the profile data for the second wirelesscommunication device in association the first and second wirelesscommunications devices, respectively.
 32. The system of claim 31,further comprising a controller associated with the network serverconfigured to analyze the stored first portion of the user profile datafor the first wireless communication device and the stored secondportion of the user profile data for the second wireless communicationdevice, the controller generating a match indicator to thereby indicatea match resulting from the analysis between the stored first portion ofthe user profile data for the first wireless communication device andthe stored second portion of the user profile data for the secondwireless communication device.
 33. The system of claim 24 wherein theprofile data storage area of each of the plurality of wirelesscommunication devices is configured to store user-selectable profiledata in the first portion of the profile data storage area anduser-selectable preference data in the second portion of the profiledata storage area, the controller of the first wireless communicationdevice being configured to receive the first portion of the user profiledata from the second wireless communication device via the wirelessaccess point, and to analyze the first portion of the user profile dataassociated with the user of the second wireless communication device andthe user-selectable preference data associated with the user of thefirst wireless communication device to determine if there is a matchbetween the user-selectable preference data associated with the user ofthe first wireless communication device and the first portion of theuser profile data associated with the user of the second wirelesscommunication device.
 34. A communication system comprising: a firstwireless communication device having: first communication means forestablishing a communication link; first control means for controllingoperation of the first wireless communication device; and first datastorage means for storing first and second portions of user profile datafor a user of the first wireless communication device; a second wirelesscommunication device having: second communication means for establishinga communication link; second control means for controlling operation ofthe second wireless communication device; second data storage means forstoring first and second portions of user profile data for a user of thesecond wireless communication device, wherein the first control means isconfigured to detect the presence of the second wireless communicationdevice in a location proximate the first wireless communication deviceand to establish a communication link therewith; analyzer means in thefirst wireless communication device for analyzing the second portion ofthe user profile data received from the second data storage means viathe communication link and the first portion of user profile datareceived from the first data storage means to determine if there is amatch therebetween; analyzer means in the second wireless communicationdevice for analyzing the second portion of the user profile datareceived from the first data storage means via the communication linkand the first profile of user profile data received from the second datastorage means to determine if there is a match therebetween; and anetwork access point wherein the means for establishing thecommunication link comprises a transceiver in the first and secondwireless communication devices, respectively, to establish thecommunication link between the first wireless communication device andthe second wireless communication device via the network access point.35. A communication method for use with first and second wirelesscommunication devices configured to communicate directly with a wirelesscommunication network and to communicate with a wireless access point,the method comprising: the first wireless communication device searchingfor a wireless access point with which to connect; upon connection withthe wireless access point, receiving an indication that the secondwireless communication device is also connected to the wireless accesspoint; and establishing a wireless communication link with between thefirst and second wireless communication devices to exchange data via thewireless access point.
 36. The method of claim 35 wherein the exchangeddata comprises user profile data and the method further comprise: thefirst wireless communication device receiving the user profile data fromthe second wireless communication device via the wireless access point;and the first wireless communication device analyzing the received userprofile data and a user preference portion of the profile data of thefirst wireless communication device to thereby determine if there is amatch between the user profile data of the second wireless communicationdevice and the user preference data of the first wireless communicationdevice.
 37. The method of claim 36 for use with a network server storingadditional user data for the first and second wireless communicationdevices, respectively, in a data storage area associated with thenetwork server wherein the exchanged data comprises identification data,the method further comprising: if the analysis indicates a match, thewireless access point transmitting the identification data for the firstand second wireless communication devices to the network server via acommunication network; the wireless access point receiving theadditional data for the first wireless communication device from thenetwork server in response to transmission of the identification datafor the first wireless communication device; the wireless access pointtransmitting the received additional data for the first wirelesscommunication device from the wireless access point to the secondwireless communication device; the wireless access point receiving theadditional data for the second wireless communication device from thenetwork server in response to transmission of the identification datafor the second wireless communication device; and the wireless accesspoint transmitting the received additional data for the second wirelesscommunication device from the wireless access point to the firstwireless communication device.
 38. The method of claim 36, furthercomprising storing the user profile data of the second wirelesscommunication device if there is a match between the user profile dataof the second wireless communication device and the user preference dataof the first wireless communication device.
 39. The method of claim 38wherein storing the user profile data of the second wirelesscommunication device comprises storing the user profile data of thesecond wireless communication device in the first wireless communicationdevice.
 40. The method of claim 39, further comprising transferring thestored user profile data of the second wireless communication devicefrom the first wireless communication device to a data storage locationassociated with a web site for a user of the first wirelesscommunication device.
 41. The method of claim 35 wherein the exchangeddata comprises user profile data, the method further comprising storingthe user profile data from the second wireless communication device in adata storage area associated with the wireless access point andtransmitting the stored user profile data from the wireless access pointto the first wireless communication device upon connection of the firstwireless communication device with the wireless access point.
 42. Themethod of claim 35 wherein the exchanged data comprises user profiledata, the method further comprising: the wireless access point receivingthe user profile data from the first wireless communication device uponconnection of the first wireless communication device with the wirelessaccess point; storing the user profile data from the first wirelesscommunication device in a data storage area associated with the wirelessaccess point; and transmitting the stored user profile data from thewireless access point to a third wireless communication device uponconnection of the third wireless communication device with the wirelessaccess point.
 43. The method of claim 35 wherein the exchanged datacomprises user profile data, the method further comprising: the wirelessaccess point receiving the user profile data from the first and secondwireless communication devices upon connection of the first and secondwireless communication devices, respectively, with the wireless accesspoint; and the wireless access point receiving user preference data fromthe first and second wireless communication devices upon connection ofthe first and second wireless communication devices, respectively, withthe wireless access point.
 44. The method of claim 43, furthercomprising: storing the user profile data and user preference data fromthe first wireless communication device in a data storage areaassociated with the wireless access point; and storing the user profiledata and user preference data from the second wireless communicationdevice in a data storage area associated with the wireless access point.45. The method of claim 44, further comprising the wireless access pointanalyzing the received user profile data from the first wirelesscommunication device with the user preference data from the secondwireless communication device and analyzing the received user profiledata from the second wireless communication device with the userpreference data from the first wireless communication device to therebydetermine if there is a match between the first and second wirelesscommunication devices.
 46. The method of claim 45 for use with a networkserver storing additional user data for the first and second wirelesscommunication devices, respectively, in a data storage area associatedwith the network server wherein the exchanged data comprisesidentification data, the method further comprising: if the analysisindicates a match, the wireless access point transmitting theidentification data for the first and second wireless communicationdevices to the network server via a communication network; the wirelessaccess point receiving the additional data for the first wirelesscommunication device from the network server in response to transmissionof the identification data for the first wireless communication device;the wireless access point transmitting the received additional data forthe first wireless communication device from the wireless access pointto the second wireless communication device; the wireless access pointreceiving the additional data for the second wireless communicationdevice from the network server in response to transmission of theidentification data for the second wireless communication device; andthe wireless access point transmitting the received additional data forthe second wireless communication device from the wireless access pointto the first wireless communication device.
 47. The method of claim 35for use with a network server storing the user profile data and userpreference data for the first and second wireless communication devices,respectively, in a data storage area associated with the network serverwherein the exchanged data comprises identification data, the methodfurther comprising: the wireless access point receiving theidentification data from the first and second wireless communicationdevices upon connection of the first and second wireless communicationdevices, respectively, with the wireless access point; the wirelessaccess point transmitting the user identification data from the firstand second wireless communication devices to the network server via acommunication network; and the network server retrieving the userprofile data and user preference data for the first wirelesscommunication device in response to receiving the identification datafor the first wireless communication device; and the network serverretrieving the user profile data and user preference data for the secondwireless communication device in response to receiving theidentification data for the second wireless communication device. 48.The method of claim 47, further comprising the network server analyzingthe retrieved user profile data for the first wireless communicationdevice with the retrieved user preference data for the second wirelesscommunication device and analyzing the retrieved user profile data forthe second wireless communication device with the retrieved userpreference data for the first wireless communication device to therebydetermine if there is a match between the first and second wirelesscommunication devices, the network server returning a match indicator tothe wireless access point if the analysis indicates a match.
 49. Themethod of claim 35 for use with a network server storing user preferencedata for the first and second wireless communication devices,respectively, in a data storage area associated with the network serverwherein the exchanged data comprises identification data, the methodfurther comprising: the wireless access point transmitting the useridentification data for the first and second wireless communicationdevices to the network server via a communication network; and receivingthe user preference data for the first and second wireless communicationdevices in response to transmitting the identification data for thefirst and second wireless communication devices, respectively.
 50. Themethod of claim 49, further comprising: the wireless access pointanalyzing the received user profile data from the first wirelesscommunication device with the user preference data for the secondwireless communication device received from the network server; andanalyzing the received user profile data from the second wirelesscommunication device with the user preference data for the firstwireless communication device received from the network server tothereby determine if there is a match between the first and secondwireless communication devices.
 51. A communication system comprising: afirst wireless communication device having: a first transceiverconfigured to establish a communication link with a wireless networkbase station; a second transceiver configured to establish acommunication link other than with the wireless network base station; acontroller configured to control operation of the first wirelesscommunication device; and a data storage area configured to store userprofile data for a user of the first wireless communication device; asecond wireless communication device having: a first transceiverconfigured to establish a communication link with the wireless networkbase station; a second transceiver configured to establish acommunication link other than with the wireless network base station; acontroller configured to control operation of the second wirelesscommunication device; and a data storage area configured to store userprofile data for a user of the second wireless communication device; awireless access point wherein the second transceivers are short-rangetransceivers configured to permit direct communication between the firstwireless communication device and wireless access point and to permitdirect communication between the second wireless communication deviceand the wireless access point, wherein the controllers in the first andsecond wireless communication devices are configured to detect thepresence of the wireless access point and to cause the secondtransceiver in the second wireless communication device to transmit atleast a portion of the user profile data from the second wirelesscommunication device to the wireless access point, the wireless accesspoint being configured to transmit the user profile data received fromthe second wireless communication device, and the second transceiver inthe first wireless communication device being configured to receive theuser profile data from the wireless access point, the controller in thefirst wireless communication device being further configured to comparethe user profile data received from the second wireless communicationdevice with the user profile data stored in the data storage area of thefirst wireless communication device to determine if there is a matchbetween the user profile data received from the second wirelesscommunication device and the user profile data stored in the profiledata storage area of the first wireless communication.
 52. The system ofclaim 51 wherein the profile data storage areas comprise first andsecond data portions with the first data portions comprising userpersonal data and the second data portions comprising user preferencedata, with the user profile data received from the second wirelesscommunication device being only the first data portion of the userprofile data of the user of the second wireless communication device,the controller in the first wireless communication device being furtherconfigured to compare the user personal data of the user of the secondwireless communication device with the user preference data stored inthe second data portion of the data storage area of the first wirelesscommunication device to determine if there is a match between the userpersonal data received from the second wireless communication device andthe user preference data stored in the profile data storage area of thefirst wireless communication.
 53. The system of claim 51 wherein thecontroller in the second wireless communication device is furtherconfigured to compare the user profile data received from the firstwireless communication device with the user profile data stored in thedata storage area of the second wireless communication device todetermine if there is a match between the user profile data receivedfrom the first wireless communication device and the user profile datastored in the profile data storage area of the second wirelesscommunication.
 54. The system of claim 53 wherein the profile datastorage areas comprise first and second data portions with the firstdata portions comprising user personal data and the second data portionscomprising user preference data, with the user profile data received bythe first wireless communication device from the second wirelesscommunication device being only the first data portion of the userprofile data of the user of the second wireless communication device andthe user profile data received by the second wireless communicationdevice from the first wireless communication device being only the firstdata portion of the user profile data of the user of the first wirelesscommunication device.